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Schroders looks to turn the corner with new strategy
Thursday 13 Mar 2025In late February, when we ran our screen of the UK’s biggest five-year laggards, investment management firm Schroders (SDR) was one of the worst FTSE 100 performers with its shares languishing 33% below their pre-pandemic level. Last week, the firm surprised the market not only by beating forecasts...
Rentokil’s latest results fail to reassure the doubters
Thursday 13 Mar 2025A few weeks ago we flagged the need for pest control and hygiene group Rentokil (RTO) to come up with a positive spin on its 2024 results or the outlook for 2025, but in the event there was little in this month’s announcement to inspire confidence and the shares headed south once more, losing over...
UK M&A gets off to a slow start but investment trusts are in demand
Thursday 13 Mar 2025A revised approach for FTSE 250 healthcare facilities owner Assura (AGR) by US buyout fund KKR (KKR:NYSE) and Stonepeak Partners brings UK M&A deal values so far this year to around £3.6 billion by our calculation. That is only around 25% of the value of deals announced in the first quarter of...
Tech stocks slump as US recession fears extend the recent sell-off
Thursday 13 Mar 2025Recession noises seem to be getting louder which partly explains why 10-year treasury yields have dropped by more than half a percentage point since president Donald Trump was inaugurated in the middle of January. Trump has further stoked concerns as he failed to dispel recession fears, saying the...
Rolls-Royce shares hit yet another 52-week high
Thursday 06 Mar 2025Shares in Rolls-Royce (RR.) surged to a new 52-week high of 792p (3 March) as the aero-engine maker continued to impress investors with its post-pandemic turnaround. Under the helm of chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic, who was appointed in January 2023, the company has made a steady recovery and...
Severfield shares plummet after structural steel group delivers another profit warning
Thursday 06 Mar 2025The outlook looks far from rosy for structural steel group Severfield (SFR) after it delivered another profit warning (3 March) sending its shares down 44% to 26.5p. In a trading update for the full year ending 29 March, the company said market conditions showed no signs of improvement since it...
Trump action on crypto, tariffs and Ukraine shifts markets
Thursday 06 Mar 2025Three recent interventions by the Trump administration are having a major impact on financial markets. First, plans for a cryptocurrency strategic reserve were announced, helping to light a fire under Bitcoin and other digital assets. Those gains were soon erased however when, against hopes of a...
Adobe may need narrative change to fire stock higher
Thursday 06 Mar 2025March will be a busy month for creative software supplier Adobe (ADBE:NASDAQ) , with fiscal 2025 Q1 earnings after the market close on 12 March, followed by what could be a crucial investors day less than a week later, on 18 March. This will be a vital opportunity to give investors a welcome dose...
Can engineering outfit Spirax revive its fortunes?
Thursday 06 Mar 2025UK engineering business Spirax (SPX) is expected to deliver mid-single digit organic revenue growth for 2024 when it announces results on 11 March. As a reminder, the company (once known as Spirax-Sarco Engineering) is a FTSE 100 constituent focused on steam, thermal electric and niche pumping...
Tesla looks to AI and robotics to end stock’s three-month slump
Thursday 06 Mar 2025Elon Musk and Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ) optimists in the analyst community appear to be pinning hopes on AI, robotaxis and robotics to reverse the negative mood surrounding the stock in recent months. Since peaking at an all-time high close to $480 in mid-December 2024, shares in the electric car firm...